A New Round of Wrestling Between the KDP and PKK

Much has been said and written about Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani’s visit to Turkey last weekend. The pro-peace Turks described his meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “historic,” while those opposed to it called it “treason.”

The Kurds were divided into two camps as well. Those who support Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) were more optimistic than the Turks and generously praised the event. But supporters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) -- namely the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) -- downplayed the importance of the event and boycotted it.

Kurdish politicians who have to some extent distanced themselves from the BDP – such as Ahmet Turk, Leyla Zana and other MPs -- came to welcome Erdogan and Barzani during the closing moments of the event.

What drew my attention most in this meeting was not Erdogan’s use of the term “Kurdistan,” nor his introduction of Barzani as president of the Kurdistan Region. It was his likening of Barzani’s trip to Diyarbakir to the 1932 visit of Mustafa Barzani to northern (Turkish) Kurdistan.  Erdogan tried to create a link between these two visits and went on to say that President Barzani is among his people and relatives.

Erdogan also emphasized that any single group must not monopolize the political arena.

It is clear that for the past few years Turkey has been trying to grant Barzani a pivotal role as a Kurdish symbol in the political process in the region. The Erbil Agreement and the Kurdish National Congress were both red lines for Turkey, but Ankara welcomed them because they happened under Barzani’s auspieces.

On the other hand, the axis of Iran and the PKK initially accepted Barzani’s leadership role, probably for tactical reasons. But they immediately began sabotaging Barzani’s leadership image after he gained support internationally, especially from Turkey.

Barzani and Erdogan’s efforts to end the BDP monopoly in west Kurdistan were unsuccessful and the PKK was triumphant. It is very likely that Erdogan would fight the PKK with the latter’s own device. At a time when the PKK denies access to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) into west Kurdistan and opens the Tal Kocher border gate with the Iraqi central government, Turkey is granting the KDP access to Diyarbakir and north Kurdistan.

In 1932, when Mustafa Barzani was in north Kurdistan, the people there were loyal to him, even after the formation of the PKK. Parallel to PKK activities, the military coup in Turkey eliminated all the Kurdish groups in Turkey to the advantage of the PKK.

Today, the political arena in north Kurdistan cannot be monopolized like in west Kurdistan and the opportunity exists for the formation of other Kurdish political parties.

When the PKK allows itself to form groups in all parts of Kurdistan and get support from the regional players, then it is not a crime for the KDP to step into north Kurdistan and do exactly the same. The rivalry between the PKK and KDP is on the rise.

Source http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/22112013